The present invention relates generally to thermal management systems for use in missiles, and the like, and more particularly, to the use of carbon fiber material as a thermally conductive interface between a missile housing and an electronics package disposed therein, and between the missile housing and the missile launcher, and to the use of carbon fiber material saturated with hydrocarbon solid-liquid phase change material as a heat sink on the launcher.
The assignee of the present invention designs and manufactures missile systems, and the like. Such missile systems includes relatively compact electronic control, guidance and computer systems, and the like, that require heat to be dissipated therefrom. A typical electronics package used in such missile systems is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,251,099, issued Oct. 5, 1993, entitled "High Density Electronics Package Having Stacked Circuit Boards", assigned to the assignee of the present invention. This patent discloses a high-density electronics package that houses a plurality of circular circuit cards along with heat sinks and circuit interconnections in a single enclosure. The electronics package is housed within a missile and is used as a guidance system for the missile. The present invention was developed for use with missiles employing these types of electronics packages.
Various thermal management constraints are imposed by requirements to retrofit existing missile systems. Small volume retrofit constraints are dominated by thermal flux limits in the heat conduction path between the missile and its launch tube, for example, and total energy limits of the available thermal system. The small volume of the thermal system presently available in manportable, air defense missiles forces conduction, and associated interfaces, to play a major role in the thermal management of the missile system. This problem is exacerbated when missiles are tightly fitted into thermally insulating launch tubes with critically controlled missile to tube friction (fly-out) tolerances.
Long duty cycle "on" time system requirements for the missile create relatively large thermal energy loads. Such high energy levels require significant thermal capacity, or in other words, a large heat sink. In order to minimize the overall weight of man-portable weapon systems, a low mass heat sink is required.
Accordingly, it is an objective of the present invention to provide for a missile system that exhibits improved thermal management capabilities. It is a further objective of the present invention to provide for a missile system that exhibits improved thermal management capabilities by using carbon fiber flocking material in conjunction with hydrocarbon solid-liquid phase change material to improve heat dissipation from the missile system during launch.